Vivo Pro Kabaddi Finale Key Battle: Naveen Kumar’s Clash With Rinku Narwal Could Determine The Fate Of The Final

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Bengal Warriors’ most successful defender in the Semi-final faces a player he has tackled just once in
Season 7.
Dabang Delhi K.C.’s talisman has had the better of Rinku Narwal throughout the season and will look
to use that to his advantage.
The pressure is bound to be on at the EKA Arena by TransStadia in Ahmedabad on Saturday as Bengal
Warriors and Dabang Delhi K.C. will be vying for their maiden Vivo Pro Kabaddi title. While Rinku
Narwal was Bengal Warriors’ highest-scoring defender in Semi-final 2, it was Naveen Kumar who led
Dabang Delhi K.C.’s raiders in Semi-final 1. Thus, it is only logical that the battle between these two
could have a huge impact on Saturday’s final. Though the contest largely favours the Dabang Delhi K.C.
raider, Rinku will be eager to prove that past records means little as compared to the current form.

Naveen Kumar has had an exceptional season against Rinku Narwal.
Head-to-head: Naveen Kumar 8 – 4 Rinku Narwal
Naveen Kumar
Raid Points: 13
Raid Strike Rate: 108.33
Average Raid Points: 3.25

Rinku Narwal
Tackle Points: 4
Tackle Strike Rate: 33.33
Average Tackle Points: 1
Bengal Warriors’ Corner duo of Baldev Singh and Rinku Narwal have had a lot to say in their Vivo Pro
Kabaddi Season 7 victories. However, it was Rinku who really shone through in defense in the Semi-final,
scoring 4 of the team’s 10 tackle points in just 5 tackle attempts. Even more impressive was that he
allowed the U Mumba raiders to score against him only twice, even though their team finished with 23
raid points.
However, the Bengal Warriors Corner has been found wanting against Naveen Kumar in the past as the
raider has scored 13 points against him at a strike rate of more than 100. What could be even more
worrying for Bengal Warriors is that Rinku’s already less than impressive 4 – 8 overall record against
Naveen becomes much worse in Season 7 as the raider has managed six successful raids while being
tackled just once when he has come up against Rinku this season. Here is how Naveen has scored his
points against Rinku.
Escape – 10
Front Kick – 1
Back Kick – 1
Bonus point – 1
Naveen’s excellent use of his lower body, combined with his alertness of the movement of the
defenders have caused all sorts of problems for Rinku Narwal as seen in the statistics above. By contrast,
Rinku’s four points have been equally spread between an Ankle Hold, Thigh Hold, Dash and Block, with
the Block accounting for the sole Season 7 tackle point. It could then work out in Rinku’s best interest to
avoid the raider’s legs when he comes in for a touchpoint and goes, instead, for his upper body when he
runs in from the other end.
While Naveen holds the edge in their head-to-head battle, Rinku’s confidence will be buoyed by the fact
that he comes into this contest with 9 tackle points in his team’s previous two encounters; both of
which have resulted in the team’s victory. Naveen, meanwhile, had an uncharacteristic five unsuccessful
raids in the Semi-final, which included a raid in which he was timed out and where he conceded a
technical Super Tackle. If Rinku is able to prevent Naveen from scoring his 21st consecutive Super 10 of the
season, he could well win the match for his side.

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